Trust Appraisal Group has answers to "Frequently Asked Questions"
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Trust Appraisal Group is always prepared to talk to you about any questions you might have about appraisals in Excelsior and Hennepin County.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you with your specific valuation problems.
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Define the term "Appraisal"
What does an appraiser do?
What are the reasons a person would request services from Trust Appraisal Group ?
What is the difference between an appraisal and a home inspection?
My agent performed a CMA for me. Is that the same as an appraisal?
What's in an appraisal report?
Once the report has been delivered, how can I have assurance that the value conclusion is valid?
What are the requirements to be a certified appraiser?
Who employs appraisers?
Where does an appraiser get the data used to estimate values in Hennepin County or other areas?
How can a licensed appraiser help me?
My mortgage statement has an item on it for PMI? Can I get rid of that?
Does the appraiser need anything from the homeowner in advance?
Define "Market Value"
Who has rights to the appraisal report?
Are some home improvements more worthwhile than others?
Define the term "Appraisal" (Go to list of questions)
The method of producing an appraisal deals with an estimation which forms an opinion of value.
There are three "common approaches to value" which helps the appraiser arrive at this opinion or valuation.
One of the processes in use is the Cost Approach, which finds what it would cost to replace the improvements to the house, less the age and physical deterioration, plus the land value.
Easily the most common approach in finding the likely sales price of a house is the Sales Comparison Approach which concerns figuring a comparison to comparable homes nearby.
Being the most common approach, the Sales Comparison Approach tends to be the most precise and best indicator of market value for a residence.
The Income Approach is mainly used for figuring out the market value of income-producing properties based on what an investor would pay based on the amount of income a property would bring in.
What does an appraiser do? (Go to list of questions)
An appraiser produces an unbiased and well justified determination of market value, to be used in making real estate transactions.
Appraisers exhibit their findings in appraisal reports.
What are the reasons a person would request services from Trust Appraisal Group ? (Go to list of questions)
There are many reasons to obtain an appraisal from Trust Appraisal Group with the usual reason being real estate and mortgage transactions.
A few other reasons for ordering an report include:
- To receive a loan.
- To lower your property taxes.
- To demonstrate a homeowner's acquired equity and remove Primary Mortgage Insurance.
- To challenge inflated property taxes.
- To settle an estate.
- To provide you a leg-up when purchasing real estate.
- To find a likely property value when putting your home on the market.
- To ensure parties are provided just compensation in eminient domain cases.
- Government agencies such as the IRS require an appraisal on every property.
- It's possible you could have to deal with being in a lawsuit - an appraisal will definitely help.
If you need more information about the appraisal process, please click here.
The appraiser is not a home inspector and he or she does not do a comprehensive home inspection.
The point of a home inspection is to evaluate the structure of the home from basement to top.
Commonly, a home inspection report will discuss the amenities and the requirements of the home: air conditioning (weather permitting), electrical systems, the condition of the heating system, the plumbing; then the structural integrity of the home such as the attic, exposed insulation, walls, floors, ceilings, windows, then the foundation, basement and visible structures.
My agent performed a CMA for me. Is that the same as an appraisal? (Go to list of questions)
Frankly, it's like comparing opera to country.
The CMA depends on vague trends in the market.
The appraisal relies on specific verifiable comparable sales.
Area and construction costs are also a priority in an appraisal.
The CMA will provide a non-specific figure.
Being a documented and carefully investigated opinion of value, appraisals are defensible and stand up in legal situations.
The person creating the report is frankly the most significant difference between a CMA and an appraisal.
A CMA is created by a real estate agent who may or may not be trained in technical valuation concepts or even have a handle on market trends.
The appraisal is produce by a licensed, certified professional who has made a career out of valuing properties.
Likewise, the agent has a vested interest in the property's selling price whereas the appraiser is bound by a code of ethics to accept a previously agreed upon sum for assignments, regardless of their value conclusion.
The main point of an appraisal report is to provide a value opinion, and depending on the scope of the report, one will customarily see the following:
- Who engaged the appraiser and whose purposes the appraisal is to serve.
- The intended use of the report.
- The reason for the appraisal.
- The type of value reported and a definition of the value reported.
- The effective date of the value opinion.(Sometimes this is in the past or maybe the future for new construction!)
- Characteristics of the property that have a bearing on the value, including: location, physical characteristics, legal attributes, economic factors, the property rights valued, and non-real estate items included in the valuation, such as personal property, items that are more or less permanently installed and even intangible factors.
- All known easements, restrictions, encumbrances, leases, reservations, covenants, contracts, declarations, special assessments, ordinances, and other items of a similar nature.
- Division of interest, such as fractional interest, physical segment and partial holding.
- The scope of work considered while working up the job.
For a more comprehensive view of all that goes into an appraisal report click here: Sample Appraisal Report
Once the report has been delivered, how can I have assurance that the value conclusion is valid? (Go to list of questions)
In communicating an appraisal report, each appraiser must ensure the following:
- The appraisal used a suitable analysis of the information.
- That grave errors of omission or commission were not committed individually or collectively.
- That appraisal services were delivered in a careful and cognizant fashion.
- The final appraisal report was understandable, legitimate and defensible.
To become a state licensed appraiser, there are education requirements as well as real world experience that must be attained.
Plus, appraisers must abide by a stringent industry code of ethics and comply with national standards of practice for real estate appraisal. The guidelines for working up an appraisal and communicating its results are guaranteed by enforcement of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
(Go to list of questions)
Licensing and certification requires classroom study, tests and real world experience.
Once licensed, he/she is required to engage in continuing education courses in order to keep the license current. To see the specific requirements for any state click here.
Who employs appraisers? (Go to list of questions)
Mortgage lenders are an appraiser's typical customer, using their services to ensure property involved in a mortgage transaction is enough to cover a loan balance in the case of default.
Appraisers also provide opinions for legal settlements, tax matters and investment decisions.
Where does an appraiser get the data used to estimate values in Hennepin County or other areas? (Go to list of questions)
One of the main things an appraiser does is to collect data.
Data can be categorized as either Specific or General. Specific data is gathered from the home itself; Location, condition, amenities, size and other specific data are noted by the appraiser during an inspection.
General data is gathered from a numerous sources.
To find out about recently sold homes to be used as "comps", we often use the local Multiple Listing Service.
To double-check actual sales prices, we research items in the assessor's office and other public documents.
Flood zone data is available from FEMA data outlets, such as a la mode's InterFlood servers.
And last but not least, the appraiser assembles general data from his or her past experience in creating appraisals for other properties in the same market.
How can a licensed appraiser help me? (Go to list of questions)
If you're making any kind of financial decision and the value of your home matters, you'll want an appraisal.
When selling your house, an appraisal assists you in setting a price that maximizes profit and reduces time on the market.
When buying, you can avoid overpaying by commissioning an independent appraisal.
If you're engaged in an estate settlement or divorce, it ensures that property is divided fairly.
Simply put, a house is often the single, largest financial asset anybody owns. Don't make decisions in the dark with a professional appraisal.
My mortgage statement has an item on it for PMI? Can I get rid of that? (Go to list of questions)
PMI is the common abbreviation for for Private Mortgage Insurance.
This supplemental policy guards the lender if a borrower doesn't pay on the loan and the market price of the property is less than what is owed on the loan.
Once you can prove the amount you owe on your home is less than 80% of the home's market value, you can make a case to your lender to drop the PMI.
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The amount you keep from dropping your PMI pays for the appraisal in a matter of months. Nobody is more qualified than Trust Appraisal Group when it comes to analyzing real estate appreciation in Excelsior and Hennepin County. Contact us today.
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Does the appraiser need anything from the homeowner in advance? (Go to list of questions)
The first step in most appraisals is the property inspection.
During this process, we will come to your home and measure it, determine the layout of the rooms inside, confirm all aspects of the home's general condition, and take several photos of your house for inclusion in the report.
On the home's interior, make sure it is clutter free and that we can access things like furnaces and water heaters. On the outside, trim any landscaping so we can be free to get an accurate measurement of outside walls.
The following items, if available, will help your appraiser to provide a more accurate appraisal in a shorter period of time:
- Records on the latest purchase of the property in the last three years.
- A list of any personal property that is part of the home and you intend to be sold with the home, such as a oven, or a washer and dryer, if applicable.
- Title policy that describes encroachments or easements.
- Brag sheet that lists major home improvements and enhancements, the amount of their purchase and date of their installation (for example, the addition of Energy efficiency upgrades or roof repairs) and permit confirmation (if available).
- Any "Homeowners Associations" agreements or, if applicable, condo agreements or fees .
Define "Market Value" (Go to list of questions)
In real estate appraising, Market Value (as opposed to Fair Market Value) is commonly defined as:
"The most probable price (in terms of money) which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby: the buyer and seller are typically motivated; both parties are well informed or well advised, and acting in what they consider their best interests; a reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market; payment is made in terms of cash in United States dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; and the price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale."
Who has rights to the appraisal report? (Go to list of questions)
In most real estate transactions, the appraisal is ordered by the lender.
Even though it's the buyer that eventually pays for the report, the lender is the intended user. The
buyer is entitled to a copy of the report - it's usually included with all the other closing documents - but is not allowed to use the report for any other purpose without permission from the lender.
It's different when it's the homeowner engaging the appraiser for things outside securing a mortgage.
In these situations, the appraiser may state the purpose of the appraisal; for PMI removal, or estate planning or tax challenges, for example. If not noted otherwise, the home owner can do whatever they want with the appraisal.
Are some home improvements more worthwhile than others? (Go to list of questions)
It really depends on the market.
For example,
if you live in a cold region, insulated windows can be a real plus. But they aren't as attractive in a warm-weather climate.
No matter where you go, however, renovating a kitchen is almost always a safe investment.
According to one national survey, kitchen remodels returned an average of 88% of the investment. In other words, a $10,000 kitchen remodeling project would add approximately $8,800 to the value of the home.
Bathrooms are right up there with kitchens, returning 85%.
Adding bedrooms and baths can also increase the value of your home (when done well) as long as your home doesn't then become an oddball for your neighborhood in terms of size.
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